In The Top Corner

An entry in a long while...

2009-04-03T20:57:00.002+08:00

So it seems I haven't been back here for such a long time. Guess it seems there's nothing for me to blog anymore. Life after graduation from poly has been pretty much mundane.

Each day is like a repetitive cycle. I'm not sure what's happening in my life. There's nothing to look forward to these days. Especially not when I can't play soccer anymore. It's as if my drive departed together along with.....

It's not lethargy, rather, its indifference. Indifference towards life and events around me. Nonetheless, army beckons.

Aaron out.

Name Of The Game

2009-02-04T18:04:00.003+08:00

Was terribly bored. So i attempted this: (got it from a friend's blog)

1. Put your iTunes/Napster/Zune Player/WinAmp/etc on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS!

IF SOMEONE SAYS “IS THIS OKAY” YOU SAY?
I'll Be Seeing You- Michael Buble

WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY?
Power Rangers Turbo Theme Song

WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?
Everything But Mine- Backstreet Boys

HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY?
The Way You Look Tonight- Michael Buble

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE’S PURPOSE?
Who Wants To Live Forever- Queen

WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?
Love Changes Everything- Andrew Lloyd Webber

WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
I Only Have Eyes For You- Jamie Cullum

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR PARENTS?
YMCA- Village People
(Mum and Dad are still cool man!)

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?
Lover, You Should Have Come Over- Jamie Cullum

WHAT IS 2+2?
I Wanna Be A Popstar- Jamie Cullum

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?
We Will Rock You- Queen

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
I Want To Be The First Man You Remember- Andrew Lloyd Webber

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
Apologise- One Republic
(Yes, I do apologise quite a bit.... maybe its in my nature to take things upon myself.. hmm)

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?
Indiana Jones Theme- John Williams
(Well, I always wanted to be a either a Power Ranger or Indy....)

WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
I Only Have Eyes For You- Jamie Cullum
(Yes... so true)

WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
Our Last Summer- Mamma Mia, The Movie

WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?
Everybody- Backstreet Boys

WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
Home- Michael Buble

WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
Any Dream Will Do- Andrew Lloyd Webber

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
More Than Words- Westlife

WHATS THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN?
Oh! Carol- Neil Sedaka
(HAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHA! TALK ABOUT BAD EXPERIENCES......)

HOW WILL YOU DIE?
Upside Down- Jack Johnson
(Ouch. )

WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU REGRET?
Yesterday Once More- The Carpenters

WHAT MAKES YOU LAUGH?
Something Stupid- Frank Sinatra

WHAT MAKES YOU CRY?
We Are The Champions- Queen

WILL YOU EVER GET MARRIED?
Angel- Jack Johnson
(Good sign I suppose...)

WHAT SCARES YOU THE MOST?
You Should Be Dancing- BeeGees
(Dancing was never my forte)

DOES ANYONE LIKE YOU?
Another One Bites The Dust- Queen
(WTH..... ok, this is freaky...)

IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE?
I Wanna Grow Old With You- Westlife

WHAT HURTS RIGHT NOW?
Stop And Stare- One Republic

WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS AS?
Name Of The Game- Abba

This seems super scary man.... totally unscripted and random... ok, i'm a bit stunned...

One last week of internship...

2009-01-20T21:49:00.003+08:00

So six months of sweat, time, effort and fun will soon be over this Friday. I've thoroughly enjoyed my stay at TODAY newspaper. The things I've learnt, the articles I've done, the friends I've made and the experiences I've had, will last me for a long while. Seems only like yesterday when I was praying about a writing position for my internship. Indeed, God has blessed me in this aspect. I'm thankful for this portfolio of articles I have. Hopefully they will put me in good stead in the future.

How I also miss those months when I was working in the CBD, and food was good. Lunch with Tim Tay and Frolick sessions at Millennia Walk with Pam were almost a daily routine. Then we shifted to Caldecott Centre, boy, were the first few weeks hard to handle. No close friends nearby, no good food.... lunch breaks and rest times were tough.

Not before long, I'll be graduating and it would mark the end of one chapter. A new one would soon follow- army. I can't imagine how fast time has flew by. The next few years would definitely be life-changing. But until then, maybe I'll just savour these moments for times like these are few and far between.

Till the next post.
Aaron reporting inthetopcorner.

MCFC ends 2008 in resounding victory!

2009-01-01T16:57:00.001+08:00

As the year comes to a close, one of the major highlights of my life would be the formation of Mount Carmel Football Club. I’m so glad I need not look any further to look for close brothers-in-Christ than in our team. For all the sweat, blood and tears shed, in addition to all the jokes and laughter shared, I’m glad we have grown- not only as players, but also as a group of friends in Christ. I’m encouraged to see that the Beautiful Game is not our common link, but by our God-centered friendship.

Here’s a tribute to each one of you. (Apologies if I’ve missed anyone out)
Keith
Impenetrable, Solid, Dependable

Tim Tay
Fearless, Strong, Perseverer

Mark Choo
Tough-tackling, Hard-hitting, Trigger-happy

Mattheus
Fast, Precise, Marauding

Kern
Swift, Skillful, Free-Scoring

Marcus
Visionary, Anchorman, Defensive

Aaron Lee
Feisty, Impulsive, Dangerman

Uncle Tai Wah
Forceful, Decisive, Resolute

Uncle Sam
Evergreen Veteran, Energetic, Limitless

Vincent
Creative, Ball Controller, Passer

Seng
Breakneck, Dribbler, Goal-Poacher

So MCFC ended the 2008 season with a marvelous trashing of an anonymous team 7-1. We thought that we were in for a long afternoon after conceding 10 minutes into the first half. But due to some intelligent play plus additional trial and error, the home team managed to find the opposition’s weakness- long aerial balls into the heart of the opposing defence.

They cracked. And MCFC was up 3-1 by half time with superbly placed goals from Seng and Kern. However, Carmel was counting their losses after a feisty first half. Seng who scored twice earlier had to be taken off the match as an opposing defender injured his right ankle.

Carmel was also buoyed by the return of their first choice keeper, Joel. His goal was impenetrable after the first conceded goal. The confidence grew with each save and parried made.

Shawn Poon replaced Aaron Lee at the start of the second half and paired with Vincent up front to good value.

Vincent, one of the substitutes on Carmel’s bench stepped comfortably in the striker’s role. Adding speed and depth were the two wingers of Jansen (left) and Kern (right). They tore up the opposition’s defence with finesse and with ease. The havoc they wrecked caused so much damaged that an additional 3 goals were pummeled past their helpless keeper.

Back down the field, Carmel’s central pairing of Tim Tay and Keith were rock solid. Magnificently covering for each other and closing down attack after attack. Marauding full-backs Mark and Mattheus showed that they had more reason to attack than defend as they poured forward to assist the midfielders.

Uncle Sam, Marcus, and Poh Heng were also having a good day in the office when they dominated possession. They also harassed the resisting team.

Late into the match, Mark had to be replaced by Poh Heng at right-back position due to a muscle cramp. Aaron Chong replaced Kern only for Vincent to drop into midfield.

A wonderfully through-ball from Shawn Poon split the opposing defence up. Aaron Chong latched onto Poon’s vision and added the icing on the cake for MCFC with a toe-poke placed finished past the demoralised rival keeper.

Soon a bust-up occurred between the frustrated rival strikers and Joel. The referee gave the instigating striker his marching orders for violent conduct and the game was abandoned for the safety of Carmel’s players. Nevertheless, this match would still go on record as a resounding victory for MCFC to end of a year of brilliant football.

Aaron looking forward to a brand new season of exciting football for MCFC in 2009 and reporting inthetopcorner!

Youth Camp!

2008-12-14T21:48:00.002+08:00

This might be the very last youth camp I will ever attend, so the feeling's really quite bitter-sweet. Well, truth be told, i'm a tad disappointed that my good pals would only be coming in the evening after their work. And it seems like i'll be the only one from my batch to be staying through out..... Hopefully I would be able to become a mentor to the younger ones and make new friends.

I never expected to be as involved in this camp as I thought. Would be helping out in a couple of stuff, from being station masters in multiple activities, to leading worship on campfire night. At the end of day, it's really all for God, and for Him to make this camp a huge success. May our youths be impacted by it, and their spiritual lives, transformed.

Looking back on the past youth camps, indeed those were awesome times. Life-defining moments which still have their impacts till today. Perhaps one could see going for youth camps as a phase of increasing spiritual-maturity, or spiritual rejuvenation. For me, this year's youth camp can be seen as a transition into another phase of life- from a boy, becoming a man. It's hight-time I acted like one too!

Even with the absence of my best pals, i'm still going to cherish every moment of this final youth camp. Hey, after all, there are other close friends still attending!

Aaron out!

Gimme a G! Gimme an O! Gimme an A! Gimme a L!!!!!

2008-11-09T16:33:00.003+08:00

GGGGOOOOAAAAAALLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A great game, a goal, and a celebration to boot!

I had a wonderful game against the adults yesterday!~

Even caused Uncle Tai Wah to score an own goal under-pressure. Hehe!

Nonetheless, it was a brilliant performance from the boys and a valiant effort from the adults. 6-4 was the final score. Youngsters Ian had a pretty good game in goal and at leftback, while Tim Tay was an awesome back-up keeper. The presence of Mark Choo at right-back wasn't missed as Shawn Chew proved to be an able deputy. Marcus and Aaron Lee played beautifully in central midfield, linking up play between Kern and Shawn Poon on the wings.

Uncle Sam ran the show for the adults, running at pace and will with the ball at his feet, spraying passes to his teammates and assisting wonderfully. Chris Tham showed why he's still called up to the team by the adults with a delightful hat-trick. Andrew, though had a good game, didn't deserved to concede the goals he did. The adults were simply outpaced by the more energetic youths.

Another rematch two weeks from now!

Can't wait!!

Aaron reporting a snippet from thetopcorner.

MCFC Stumble Against Hermon 3-3

2008-09-30T21:06:00.003+08:00

In a brave attempt to exact revenge on their opponents, Hermon came out of last Saturday afternoon's match against Carmel, the happier of the two teams. Despite being buoyed by the return of Left-Back, Mattheus, Midfielder, Marcus, and Striker, Aaron Lee, MCFC drew 3-3 against their cross-history opponents.

This latest result also came as an expected one, as Carmel were without their first and second-choice keepers, Joel and Andrew. Top scorer, Seng was also absent for the match. A makeshift keeper had to be drafted in, and evergreen Uncle Sam proved to be an able replacement when he kept the score reputable even though he conceded a penalty in the first half.

Carmel, at their homegrown in Lian Hua Primary came out strong in the first ten minutes with all guns blazing. Kern, Vincent, Aaron Chong and Aaron Lee pounded the Hermon defence shot after shot, but to no avail. Vincent broke the deadlock soon after with a brilliant strike past the opposing keeper.

Meanwhile, Zhi Yang and Marcus controlled their central midfield with aplomb, spraying balls to their teammates and protecting their defence, led by an aging Uncle Tai Wah.

Halfway into the first half, terrorised by the quick strikers of Hermon, confusing broke out in the Carmel box and a penalty was given for an offence committed. 1-1.

Boosted by the confidence of new boots, Right-Back, Mark gave one of his usual reliable performances.

The second half began in earnest and Uncle Sam was now replaced from his keeper position into an attacking player. The switch left rookie Uncle Sok Chuan in goal. The move proved to be a fatal mistake later on during the match.

Carmel's cohesion as a team was questioned when cousins Shawn Poon and Keith had a bust-up on the pitch. Keith's urging of his cousin to run and challenge for balls was met with dissent from the latter. Aaron Chong then replaced Shawn Poon on the left wing as Poon stormed off the pitch.

Uncle Sam soon allowed MCFC's lead to be restored with a spectacular solo effort as he rolled the ball into the Hermon net. But Hermon drew level after the Carmel defence failed to clear a loose ball off their penalty box. A Hermon player was on hand to rocket the ball past the aimless Uncle Sok Chuan. 2-2.

MCFC had to thank Uncle Sam as he scored a real poacher's goal when he sneaked near the Hermon keeper who had spilled the ball. The evergreen player was more than delighted to help himself. Vincent and Kern led Carmel's attack and continued to pound the opposing defence in a search to put the game beyond Hermon's reach.

Calamity for Carmel soon struck when the slow defence was outrun by Hermon's pacy striker Jia Yi, who had dribbled through the centre-backs and also the oncoming Carmel keeper. Hermon drew once more as Jia Yi grabbed the equaliser. 3-3.

Despite MCFC having an average game, the presence of a stable keeper and the speed of Seng was sorely missed.

Aaron, reporting inthetopcorner

Rants and Rumblings...

2008-09-29T17:20:00.003+08:00

29/9/08,end-September.

It's been almost 4 and a half months, since mid-June that we even had a simple chat. As far I can remember, not even a word of "Hi" was exchanged. Good friends have now become total strangers.

Call it self-preservation, cos my outward appearance shows that I care little about our friendship. But deep down, how I yearn to have things the way they were before "THE MESS" was created. I know I was wrong last time, but why can't she forgive me? Any attempt of saving this friendship was met with indifference.

What more can I do? What more can I say?

Day by day, month by month, I'm slowly losing hope of salvaging our friendship. As the saying goes, "Lightning does not strike twice." God has already worked a miracle once. I really wonder if He can do it again...

Aaron, wishing he can turn the clock back inthetopcorner

My First Byline!

2008-09-27T10:33:00.004+08:00

there it is! hard work finally paid off....

and...
MOVE OVER BECKHAM! HERE COMES MY NEW NO. 23!!!!
RAFAEL VAN DER VAART!!!!!!

There's a match later at 5pm against Hermon at Lian Hua. Feeling very confident about it. Finally am able to put on the Captain's armband again! Onward to victory!!!!

Aaron reporting inthetopcorner!

Journalism: At the mercy of advertisers?

2008-09-17T21:37:00.002+08:00

Can news just get any more disheartening after I've completed my very first article, only to be told by my editor that the supplement may not be published due to the absence of any advertising?

W.T.H!!!!!

After two nights of slogging, I may most likely have to come to the conclusion that my effort was in vain.

With that said, this set me thinking. Are newspapers at the mercy of advertisers? Is it possible for newspapers to continue their operation without advertisements? Where has the true meaning of journalism gone to? By nature, journalism is supposed to education, entertain and inform readers, and not be a channel of marketers who want to promote their services!

Perhaps in today's day and age, we are truly living in a money-grabbing world...

Sad. =(

Aaron reporting from thetopcorner.

My First Assigned Article!

2008-09-11T22:18:00.003+08:00

It's only the 3rd day of work at Internship for me, and already I've got my very first article to write! It's an article for the F-1 supplement of TODAY newspaper. It'll be slated for release on the 24th Sep, Wed.

I shan't spoil the surprise as to what I'll be writing about.

This assignment came as a very pleasant surprise. During one of the department's impromptu brainstorming sessions, we (colleagues and myself) shot out ideas as to how we were going to present the information in the newspaper. Thankfully, my editor loved my idea and gave me the go-ahead to write the article. Woo hoo! Thank God for that.

Will officially start working on the article tomorrow at work. I've got a week to complete this, and confidence is running high in me.

Cya soon readers!
Aaron out, finally reporting inthetopcorner!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Internship Begins!

2008-09-09T07:46:00.002+08:00

It's 7.50am. It's my first day of work today as an intern reporter at Today Newspaper. Work begins from 10.30am to 7.30pm. I'm rather excited about it. Will be getting my own cubicle, my own name cards, my own I.D tag and also the chance to write stories! Besides, lunch time is also another good opportunity for me to catch up with my good friends who work around the area too (Tim and Pam)!

Yesterday's movie outing with Tim, Pam and Sam was awesome! We went to catch Mamma Mia! It's a very good show, found myself singing to the familiar Abba tunes whenever the movie broke into song. For all your musical lovers out there, this is one show you have to catch!

Will be catching Babylon AD with them again tonight. Which means I only have half-an-hr to rush like a mad dog from my work place to the theatre. Wow!

Alrighty then, readers. I'm outta here!

Aaron starting work from thetopcorner.

I'm back!

2008-09-03T20:34:00.002+08:00

Considering how long I've last blogged, I shall attempt to make up for loss time and provide you, readers, with a substantial entry.

These couple of weeks have gone by rather quickly for me.

First it was my birthday, and with a couple of my best buds, celebrated it at Shokudo. (Refer to Sam's blog, for the pics..). These days, I do watch quite a few free movies at gala premiers, thanks to my uncle who works in the movie industry... very fortunate to have him provide the tickets and the freebies.

This week, I just came back to S'pore from a family trip to K.L. Still suffering from a hangover from too much shopping and eating. Life's good there when you consider the high exchange rate S'pore has to M'sia.

And now I feel I'm wasting my last two weeks of hols before my internship at Today Newspaper starts. No one seems to be available, my good buddies are either not free or in army, or having their internships. It's getting very boring. Worse still, my feet are aching to kick a soccer ball. I can't remember the last time I donned my MCFC jersey. Besides, I also wanna try out the "Integrated Soccer Socks" that Pam and Lynette gave me for my birthday!

Readers, feel free to ask me out ya? I'm bored staying at home. Well, at least there's a possible fishing outing with Sam next tuesday...

Till then, here's
Aaron being really bored inthetopcorner.

Birthday Wishes! (And something else...)

2008-08-15T22:52:00.003+08:00

In order of descending importance.

#1 To grow ever closer to God (through QT, prayer....etc)

#2 To mend a broken friendship which I hold so dearly to my heart.

#3 For my family to stay healthy and happy through God's provisions.

#4 To foster deeper bonds with my already good friends.

#5 For academic success.

Thanks Sam, for that very uplifting talk we had online. With regards to Birthday Wish #2, I've come to realise that what I missed most about HER, was her friendship. I missed being around her, talking nonsense, having heart to heart conversations, having fun etc.

It wasn't the romantic relationship which I yearned so much for. It was simply her true friendship. She was a very good friend to me and I destroyed it myself. We never talk much, if not at all these days. Somehow I feel we're drifting further apart, almost to the point of being strangers. All I can do now is slowly pick up the pieces.

If God can give me 3 years to mend my friendship with Carol, I'm prepared to wait for another 3 years or longer (depending on God's perfect timing) to mend my friendship with her. God's worked a miracle in my life with regards to Carol. And I'm sure He can work another one...

Aaron, reflecting inthetopcorner.

Thank God... Cos He Does Answers Prayers!

2008-07-29T16:00:00.002+08:00

I'm speechless cos I got fabulous news!! I prayed for a writing position for my internship and God has blessed me with one. I'll be writing for the Today Newspaper starting September 15th till 31st Jan as their intern.

Man, I can't believe how fortunate I am. Out of three interviewed candidates, I was the only one chosen. Praise God. Yet somehow, I'm feeling a bit sad cos my good friend, Mohsen won't be working with me. The next thing I would pray for, is strength and stamina to go through this internship. I'll be going out to the real world and it's gonna be tough.

To that, just wanna thank God again for His blessings. Now for me to keep my end of the deal: to re-ignite my passion for Him again.

Speaking of passion, take a look at this thriller for an upcoming local movie, Kallang Roar. Soccer fans, this show would definitely tug at our heart strings.

Aaron out, thanking God from thetopcorner!

Internship Woes...

2008-07-25T19:02:00.009+08:00

First it was to be the Singapore Business Review, this internship was to be looking bright and rosy until- they pulled out of the programme.

Soon came Today Newspaper, but they are taking super long to reply. 50-50 chance of writing for them.

There's another door though. Cuisine&Wine Asia Food Magazine. It's a food magazine for the elite of S'pore. Just got offered to write for them. Man, wonder which one should I choose.

Perhaps only God knows.

One last outing with my old friends...

2008-07-21T09:09:00.002+08:00

Yesterday after CG, I spent an entire evening with my old pals from NZ... man, they're leaving in four days and how I wish I wouldn't have to wait another 5 years to see them again.

If there was one person I should thank for our friendship, it's gonna be God. After all, it was Him that brought friendship to our parents way back in the old Carmel days. And that friendship from our parents has been passed on to their children-us.

As the saying goes, absence makes the heart grow fonder. Take care guys!

Aaron gearing for another hectic week from thetopcorner.

MCFC Puts The Ghosts Of Yesteryears To Death...

2008-07-13T23:09:00.002+08:00

Three years ago, before Mount Carmel Football Club was officially formed, the budding soccer players had to thank Zion for giving them the inspiration of forming a soccer team, with a 8-1 thrashing.

From its humble beginnings, MCFC has now become a force to be reckoned with. And indeed they are, as they have completed their vendetta of picking up where they last left off against Zion. MCFC had confidently outplayed and outwitted a combined Zion team (Bishan and Serangoon) 2-1 at JJC on Sunday.

Goals from Matthew (Liu) and Evan sealed the victory for MCFC and gave the team plenty of reason to cheer and smile about after a series of disappointing draws and defeats at the hands of Bible Church and Hebron respectively.

Even without key players such as Keith, Mark, Tim, Joel, Kern and Vincent, MCFC was still good value for their victory. Direct replacements in the form of Zhi Wei [Right-Back] (Zhi Yang's friend), Jia Yi [Right-Winger] and Jia Han [Centre-Back] (Aaron's friends) enabled MCFC to cope with their lack of manpower.

Mattheus, Zhi Jie and Matt Liu who were sorely missed at the past few games gave stellar performances to ensure they made short work of the opposing players while in their positions. In addition, battling midfielders such as Poh Heng and Uncle Sam ruled the midfield with their ball-winning tackles.

The game was to be a highly-charged affair and it did not disappoint. In the opening proceedings, MCFC had domination over the midfield and had a stonewalled defence to deter Zion from scoring. Seng, Evan and Jia Yi were also knocking at Zion's goalmouth.

The skirmish came thick and fast, with fouls committed in quick succession. Midway into the 1st half, Mattheus at left-back was subbed by Aaron for a cramp. A long ball was fed to Zion's right-winger, but due to shabby defending, Aaron was unable to prevent his opposing player from going past him. As desperate times called for desperate measures, Aaron gave a tug to the right-winger who was going to have a clear goal scoring opportunity. Yellow card for Carmel's skipper. It was to be a corner kick to Zion, but the makeshift Carmel defence held firm. A goal-less first half soon followed.

The deadlock was broken early in the second half when Matt Liu won the ball from an opposing player and shot from close range within the penalty box. 1-0 to MCFC.

Barny who was then playing as right-winger drifted inside and took a chance at goal. Despite looking very promising, the shot slammed off the bar after Zion's keeper made a desperate save.

Halfway into the second half, Zion equalised from just outside Carmel's penalty box when a weak clearance fell to the feet of a Zion player who rifled home to tie the score 1-1.

Carmel were not to be outdone a second time by their rivals. And they could have gone 2-1 up within minutes after Seng who was fed a pass, dribbled the ball past the opposing defence and blasted the ball into the hands of Zion's 'keeper. Aaron who was on hand to pick out a rebound made a header towards goal that was easy for the 'keeper to recover. A wasted chance.

Within moments, Evan took the ball from his own half and burned half the Zion midfielders en-route to goal. After skinning the right-back, he was brought down in Zion's penalty box and Carmel was awarded a lifeline- penalty! Evan who deserved a goal for his magnificent efforts throughout the game cooly slotted home the winning goal for Carmel.

Now that Carmel's ghosts have been laid to rest, the members are considering putting competitive soccer on hold. They intend to revert back to their old brand of fun-filled soccer, in the form of Old VS Young games.

Aaron reporting InTheTopCorner

Brave MCFC Finally Lose

2008-07-07T09:19:00.002+08:00

After a fantastic run of results, Hebron put a dent into MCFC's glittering record. For nearly 15 odd games against church opposition, MCFC had succumb to their first official defeat.

Hebron put up a fine display to gain a 3-2 victory over their rivals. MCFC's captain was left wondering how his team managed to achieve such a result despite having more shots at goal than the opponents.

With Zion up next, MCFC need to dig deep and give a performance of their lives. After all, Zion once did trash MCFC 8-1....three years ago.

It's the weekend!!!!

2008-07-05T10:08:00.002+08:00

Hi readers!

Today's gonna be a great day! Just received a call from an old friend, Seth. He's back in Singapore for 3 weeks. Will be hanging out soon. It's been 5 years since I last saw them. What a difference time makes... A pity they ain't going back to Carmel. I suppose things change after some time...

As for today, looking forward to K-Boxing later with my CG and dinner, followed by bible study with them.

Just yesterday, while attending some service at ACJC, I was impacted by the sermon of 'Taking up your Cross'. Somewhere along the sermon came this point of Passion= Suffering. How apt this is! To further illustrate this point, if someone was passionate about something, he/she would be willing to suffer for it. Just as Jesus was passionate about us and he suffered on the cross for our sins, we as Christians should relate to God. We ought to be passionate for Him, yet willing to suffer for God.

And did I mention that there's gonna be a huge soccer match tomorrow against Hebron?!?!?!!? Can't wait for it! Slipping on that Captain's Armband and playing my heart out is the least I could do for my team.

Aaron out.

You want your update, you got a update!

2008-07-01T08:24:00.002+08:00

Greetings readers. Sorry for not being able to add new entries to this blog. But well, life seems to be looking up these days.

I just called a call yesterday from a lecturer to say that I've been offered a writing position as an intern at 'Singapore Business Review'. Seems like a pretty glamourous job to me... good pay, but as far as I know, lots of work to do. But heck, I'm more than up for it. I prayed to have a writing position for my internship and God opened a door for me. Now, God-willing he'll lead me through the door and give me that position. Prayer-power needed here pls! =)

This month seems to be another soccer-month! With Hebron and Zion upcoming, I wonder if MCFC has the strength to keep on going. Nevertheless, we also have quite a few players out injured. But I'm sure we'll come through. Can't wait for the next 2 sundays!

And lastly, this week (or rather tomorrow) marks the return of my good friends from overseas... 1 group's coming back from Chiang Mai after serving at Narada Home, and another from New Zealand. I finally be seeing my NZ friends after say, 4-5 years! Miss the times we spent in Sunday school and family outings. Then again, I might as well spend the day tomorrow at the airport to receive all of them together! haha.

Till the next update
Aaron, out.

MCFC 3- Bible Church 3

2008-06-22T15:52:00.002+08:00

In a game that had so much pre-match hype, the scoreline was contrary to the dull, yet heated match that was played out against the two neighbouring churches at Lian Hua Primary last Saturday afternoon.

MCFC were left counting their losses after serious injuries to several of their players after the match. Vincent, Uncle Tai Wah and Andrew had to be helped off the field due to the aftermath of the severe tackles.

Though still unbeaten, this was the first game that MCFC were without their foreign players, P.Chai and Valere. And MCFC certainly missed their presence.

With some controversial refereeing and lackluster playing from MCFC, they were unable to captalise on their chances to kill off the game. Fortunately for them, a draw was more than enough.

With two important upcoming matches against Hebron and Zion, MCFC need to dig deep and find back the winning spirit that has brought them the title among their opponents as 'Invincible'.

Just a simple update...

2008-06-16T16:32:00.004+08:00

Hi readers..

Life hasn't been good to me these couple of weeks. Work's pilling up... feeling of having your interviewee(s) cancel on you at the very last minute and you having to re-scout for another possible interviewee is seriously CRAP.

Apart from work, there's another serious issue that's bugging me... I think some of you know it already. Of course it's regarding someone close.

Is it better to be a supportive friend that's secretly in pain? Or just being an acquaintance who is not in the know of what's happening?

On the brighter side, there's the long-awaited match against Bible Church this saturday. Perhaps soccer could be used as a form of escapism. But again, how long can I escape from the unhappiness? Two hours at max.?

What I would really want this saturday is to score just one goal and dedicate it to that special someone... after all, chances seem to be quite good. We're playing against a team which we haven't lost before Mount Carmel Football Club was officially established. Just one goal will do it.... cos I really..really want it!!!!!

Aaron out.

MCYFC- God's Soccer Team

2008-05-25T07:52:00.003+08:00

I've decided to give blogging about yesterday's victory over Hermon a break. But kudos to P.Chai for scoring two late goals to help Carmel continue their unbeaten streak.

But this post goes out to all my soccer guys. Hopefully this will change the way we play for the better.

Yesterday night at the Friendship Saturday event, I watched a very impactful and inspirational film, "Facing The Giants". I even teared a couple of times. Cabbed down with Mark after the game, and bus-ed home with Shing.

It talks about how a novice football team, 'Shiloh Eagles', led by a rookie coach was able to dominate the competition because he had faith in God to carry the team through. They thanked God when the won. And they thanked God when they lost.

Through fervent prayer and a mentally of giving everything to God, the novice team proved their critics wrong.

But things didn't go as well for the Eagles initially. They played for themselves, cared about themselves and only considered how they were going to celebrate after scoring a try.

After seeing the film, I realised some of us were doing the same thing. We play 'cos we wanna score goals and celebrate. But no more. I wanna play for God. We all should play for God when we head out onto the field. Cos when we put everything we have on the field to God, He uses them for His pleasure, whether we win or not.

So my brothers (and sisters), with the title given upon me by you, as Captain, MCYFC, from today on, will not be a team of like-minded people who love soccer, but rather a team of brothers who are passionate about soccer that loves God.

Amen.

Aaron feeling inspired inthetopcorner.

The Returning Of An Old Friend...

2008-05-21T22:21:00.002+08:00

Just when I thought this week couldn't get any worse, I was wrong. The worst was over. This afternoon, and old pal, Seth told me that he and his family are coming back in July to S'pore! It's been nearly 6 years since we last met.

Gone are the days when our families together with the Tans would meet up for dinner get-togethers. Now that time has come once again to renew and strength our friendships.

Thank God for that. Till we meet in July, I'm keeping my eyes peeled for any surprises.

Aaron, reminiscing inthetopcorner.

CG Outing!!!

2008-05-19T10:14:00.012+08:00

Yesterday I had a smashing time. Had CG outing. Went to Settlers Cafe at Holland V in the afternoon, followed by bowling at SRC. Thanks Matt for suggesting to go to SRC, it was fun! And then dinner at Raffles place. Window shopped with Shawn, Anthony, Lijian, Chris and Shi Ying.

I realised that the Great Singapore Sale is coming soon!! So many discounts, so many nice things to buy!

Thanks to Anthony for giving us all a lift to Clementi so we could go home quicker!! Chris had to rush home to pack for his trip.

Train-ed and bus-ed home with my neighbour. Never realised that NTU was actually rather nearby my place... haha!

TC folks!

Aaron blogging from thetopcorner, out.

For The Beautiful Game Needs A Beautiful Goal...

2008-05-17T19:50:00.008+08:00

Price of soccer boots: $75

Price of soccer ball: $20

Price of scoring your first goal, without using your masterleg, by means of a delightful lob over the keeper: PRICELESS

There are somethings that money can't buy, for everything else, there's always good friends to share the joy with you...

and guess what mark did:

That's right, today's the day I'm gonna remember for a very long time, if not my entire youth. Today, I scored my first goal after not being able to find the net after a couple of years. I finally did it today! The feeling of seeing the net ripple from the effect of the bouncing ball, was simply beyond words. It was a chipped goal, and a nice one to boot.

There was even a possibility of scoring a hat-trick today. Save for the fact that one attempt went sky-high and another got cleared off the line... Oh well, but I had a good game today against the adults.

Final score 4-1. Youths won. I bravely say that I let Lynette shoot a penalty past me today! Haha! Well done!

But trust me friends, I'm NOT going to rest on my laurels. In fact, I'll use today's experience to work on my game and improve ever more...

I wanna thank all my friends in MCYFC who have been supporting me and for giving me the encouragement that my first goal will come sooner or later.

Will a couple of potential tough games ahead of us, it is with great honour and pleasure that I need you guys out on the field, and to victory.

Till next week's entry (this time I promise my fans that I will update...),

Aaron, reporting exuberantly from thetopcorner.

1st week of school...

2008-04-16T17:16:00.002+08:00

It's wednesday, the middle of a new school semester. Back to putting the pedal to the metal in my pursuit of paper qualifications.

What's new? Presumably new, nice classmates and new modules. Having your best course-buddy with you, in 2 out of 7 of your new modules.

What's not? The long queues during lunch time at the canteens. Foreseeable tons of stress. People you dislike with a vengeance for almost making you fail a particular module last semester, being in 2 of the same modules as you = the knifes are out. touch me, u pay!!!

Oh well, that kinda really wraps up the final year of study for me in Ngee Ann. A Mass Comm Diploma with Specialisation in Journalism, HERE I COME!!!!

Once again, the workload is coming in thick and fast. Time for me to bite the bullet and grit my teeth... (as usual).

Aaron, Lamenting from TheTopCorner, is outta here. BB!!

Love- Corrected.

2008-04-02T21:24:00.003+08:00

Welcome back readers, to another entry!

Just this week, I began to feel rather nostalgic. Don't know why, but I recalled all my past failed romantic escapades. Thank God I've woken up from my dream. And looking back, I can't believe my own stories. I really was looking for love in the wrong places.

A recent chat with a good friend reinforced my commitment to view romanticism in God's eyes, and not the world's.

This word of wisdom came from him.
"If you base your love on God's love, it won't fail". The 'it' refers to relationships.

How apt that phrase is! Soon after, I was reminded of Victor Hugo's old adage from his novel, "Les Miserables". " To Love another person is to see the face of God."

MCYFC Maintain Unbeaten Record at Hermon's Expense.

2008-03-16T08:10:00.012+08:00

An efficient performance by Mount Carmel Youth Football Club's players saw them confidently overcome a lacklustre Hermon side 4-1 at Lian Hua Primary School to maintain their unbeaten streak. Despite the lion's share of possession, the home team felt that more goals could have been scored.

New Carmel signing, Seng, was in blistering form as he managed to run the Hermon defence ragged with a stunning hat-trick. Supported by a powerhouse midfield of Valere, Kern, Uncle Sam, Vincent, P. Chai and Evan, Carmel won the game with relative ease.

Although Carmel was not being able to call upon their first-choice keeper', Joel for this match, Andrew proved to be up to the task as he managed to limit Hermon to a single goal. He was barely tested throughout the match, thanks to the marvelous defensive display by converted defensive midfielder, Marcus, in his new role as centre-back. His vision and astute tackling made short work of the teetering Hermon attack.

Despite carrying an injury, Carmel's defensive general, Keith, put in a confident performance. His leadership at the back proved to be a masterstroke as he commanded the backline with grace and potency. Another defensive stalwart, Tim proved to once again to be a top-asset to the team with his athleticism and courage to put his body between the ball and the goal.

Carmel dominated the game right from the start and kept knocking on Hermon's door. Early in the first half, Carmel's veteran attacking midfielder, Uncle Sam, led by example as he managed to sneak past the Hermon defence for a simple tap into the goal. First blood to Carmel.

Carmel's wing-backs made considerable contributions. Mark, the ever improving right-back capped his match with judicious passing and tackling, while Mattheus, Carmel's John Arne-Risse made fine runs to support the wingers in attack and defended with a keen sense of judgement and timing.

Not before long, Seng, Carmel's free-transfered striker began his crusade for his first hat-trick in his MCYFC career. His pace and dribbling ability tore up the Hermon defence as they couldn't find a way to contain the explosive player. Seng's run from midfield to collect a pass sent his marker the wrong way. The striker skinned another Hermon player before slotting Carmel's second, and his first goal from the edge of the penalty box.

Soon Hermon had their break, a long pass was made to their sole striker which caught the Carmel defence off-guard. Their hesitation proved to be a mistake as the Hermon striker was able to make a wonderful curled shot into the top left-hand corner of the goal. Andrew was unable to make the save.

Newly crowned captain, Aaron, rallied his team on to maintain a lead and could have added to his name to the score-sheet if not for a mistimed header mid-way into the second half. Aaron's run from midfield to meet a cross from Vincent proved in vain as he was unable to meet it.

Another potent weapon in Carmel's extensive armoury was Vincent. His constant runs at the opposition caused mayhem among their ranks and was able to capitalise on some shoddy defending as he made a glorious pass to Seng to set him up for his second goal of the match. 3-0 in favour of Carmel.

P. Chai, Carmel's Thai signing could have also added to the goal tally when a corner from another of Carmel's foreign imports sent a beautiful corner into the Hermon penalty box. The Ivorian, Valere, Carmel's Didier Drogba, lifted a corner into the danger-zone only for P.Chai to cap his fine performance with a header that went over the cross-bar.

Such efficiency of the Carmel attack was evidently seen when their 4-4-2 formation broke into a 4-3-3, with Vincent running down the left, Seng in the middle, and Valere down the right. Kern, P.Chai and Aaron made up the midfield.

Carmel's Cristiano Ronaldo, Kern was also on hand to test the Hermon keeper himself. The winger's delightful runs down the right-hand side proved too cunning for the opposition, as he grabbed a couple of shots himself.

Barny replaced P.Chai late in the game and played a superb one-two with Vincent, who instantly passed the ball to Kern who sent a defence splitting through ball to Seng's feet. The rest was history. Carmel's lead was restored to 3 goals.

Final Score: MCYFC 4, Hermon 1.

Aaron reporting from the top corner.

Of Braces And Races....

2008-03-11T17:32:00.001+08:00

Hi folks. Welcome to another entry.

Tmr's gonna be a day of new experiences and perhaps, pain. I'm putting on braces tmr! I'm not sure if it should be even considered a good thing though. Hearing how uncomfortable and painful the process is, I have my 2nd thoughts. Will keep you guys updated on it yah?!

I'm just afraid the braces may affect my playing of soccer this Saturday! It's gonna be a huge game. 3 churches, 2 teams. CARMEL VS HERMON & HEBRON! This will be the first true game i get to really wear my captain's armband and lead MCYFC to victory. I know we can do it.....

Also, the Youth recently had their Food Amazing Race. It was fun! Especially the Sungei Road station. Seeing how the teams got lost actually made me feel that I accomplished something good... Haha! Well, it was also heart-warming to see Youths of different ages interact and bond with each other. Let's hope that continues for a long while...

Till then,
Cya!

Aaron, shooting InTheTopCorner.

A New Blog, A New Start.

2008-02-24T21:28:00.004+08:00

This is officially my new blog... I decided to close down invoked-and-ignited for some reasons... But to all my ardent fans out there, you'll still be able to get your soccer fix right here.

I hereby declare that this new blog will be solely dedicated to articles and write-ups on MCYFC (Mount Carmel Youth Football Club). And also to some aspects of my life...but definitely no more juicy stuff. The last blog used to have too much of it.

Coming up for this blog, will be articles from MCYFC's upcoming matches against Hakka Methodist and Hebron & Hermon. Stay tuned...

Well, on a more personal note, the Food Amazing Race is coming! Thank God for great help in the form of Pam, Lynette, Lizz, Kimberly and Tessa. Let's all keep this event in prayer that it may be a success!

The Kung Twins are leaving tomorrow night back to NZ. And it'll be another 2 years before I'll get to see them again. I miss them. Though childish they may be, they are still 2 of the most candid brothers I'll ever know and I thank God for knowing them since my Sunday School days.

Alrighty then, till the next entry,
Aaron, scoring in the top corner.